wiring behind cabin headliner

[bradm]

Can anyone describe the path wires follow from the electrical panel to the space behind the cabin headliner? Wires obviously run from the "cabin lights" switch on the electrical panel to the overhead lights in the cabin, but I can't figure out the routing. I was hoping to find a conduit that enters the headliner space, but starting to wonder if the wiring harness is glassed in.

The reason I ask is that I'd like to run a wires from a solar panel on the dodger to the electrical panel. Drilling through the deck gets into the space behind the headliner. From there I'm not sure if it is possible to snake a wire to the panel.

Thanks for any advice. - Brad

[Captain Kirk]

I don't know if there are conduits in the headliner.
But, maybe consider bringing the panel wires into the cockpit along the dodger frame, then go through the cockpit combing into the aft cabin, starboard side of course. There is a cable raceway that goes straight into the electrical panel in the aft cabin. I did this with my solar panels that are mounted on the bimini. This routing means you don't need to drill through the deck and install a deck gland etc.

There are a number of different ways to skin this cat of course.

As an aside and I'm sure you know - panels mounted on the dodger get much more shading than those on the bimini. Shading has a big impact on watts to the batteries.

[scott.monroe]

Hi Brad,

I was able to run conductors from solar panels mounted on my dodger through the deck just above the galley on the starboard side. I was able to gain access to the head space from a panel that is used to access my deck winch. That allowed me to work tease the conductors down and into the starboard side locker and then it was a relatively easy run around the stern and up to the electrical panel. I attached a quick picture of the path. The left insert pic shows the area of the panel that I removed to get into the head space. The right insert shows two closest holes that are for the deck switches for my electrical winch and the furthest wires coming down are for the solar panels.

Wire path (smaller).jpg (81.36 KiB) Viewed 961 times

Hope this helps.
Scott

[wolfe10]

Scott,

Wish there were a wire routing that would be shorter. Guess no chance of coming down port side with its shorter run to the batteries OR battery switches. But, oversize the wire gauge will help compensate for longer runs. Use the 3% voltage drop tables and remember wire run is positive PLUS negative.

https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/ ... d-Ampacity

[bradm]

Thanks to all for the good ideas.

Yes Dodger shading is an issue, but hoping a quality 120w panel there will be sufficient to keep a modest 220 Ah bank topped up for day sailing off the mooring. The dodger installation is so clean and unobtrusive that it's worth a try.

[Captain Kirk]

Brad

I have 2 x 120W panels and on the best days I get around 65 AHrs. We cruise in the higher latitudes between 48 and 52 deg. Lower latitudes would probably give closer to 90 AHrs. We are at anchor a lot and the panels act as a battery extender, meaning we don't need to run the engine for +/- 3 days, by then the holding tank is filling up and we move to a different anchorage which is the opportunity to run the engine.

With the panels on the bimini the mast and even the furled genny, block parts of the panels at different times. It can drop the production by 1/3.

In your case of day sailing you should be fine, you'll probably get up to 30 AHrs per day.

[Olivia Mae]

Can't help with the wiring run from the dodger, but one comment about putting the panel on the dodger. I think you'll be very surprised on how little you will get from it with any shading at all on it. It will be shaded anytime you are sailing or have a bad angle to the sun, and the boom shadow when not sailing will cut solar production down to about nothing. It may look like more trouble, but taking the time to mount it on the bimini will make the difference between a system that works well vs one that just was a good idea at the time.

On my other boat, I did a dodger mount with one of the panels. It only is helpful at anchor when I can tie the boom way off to one side. Sure, we get some power out of it, but that installation doesn't compare to the install I did on our 350.

If you do choose the bimini route, You can run the wiring through the transom next to the shore power connections. Suggest using one of the thru-deck connectors made by Scanstrut. You can use MC4 connectors for a nice professional looking install. Then it's a pretty easy wiring run from the port locker down the port side of the boat along the rub rail area inside the boat to the tv locker and down to the electrical panel area and batteries.